Chapter 118 Special "Training"
"The breeze is faithful, the autumn moon boundless, my longing for her makes days feel like years..."
Humming a light tune, Matthew, as usual, carefully inspected each troll.
He had to ensure that none of the trolls were hiding their strength, which could lead to dangerous situations.
After all, the trolls under his control were now nearing a thousand.
Being a gold mine that continuously generated coins for Bay Territory, it was worth being extra cautious.
Moreover, Matthew could also find a special reward from these trolls:
New specialties!
Ever since he gained the specialty analysis inheritance, Matthew had been collecting all kinds of specialties.
Whether they belonged to spellcasters, soldiers, or adventurers, he accepted them all.
A good specialty, regardless of its origin, was valuable.
The captured trolls and ogres were no exception. The more specialties he collected, the stronger his hand became.
This was the powerful method that allowed a force to cultivate professionals—a foundation that could be called the cornerstone of "inheritance."
Perhaps, as Matthew accumulated more and more specialties,
He could eventually master the specialties of almost every type of professional.
At that point, Bay Territory could rapidly produce powerful professionals.
These trolls gave Matthew quite a pleasant surprise.
The basic specialties included: Initiative, Rapid Fire, Throwing, Trap Detection, and 12 others.
The intermediate specialties included:
Polearm Mastery, Precision Throwing, Strength Burst, Defense Mastery, and Vital Area Protection.
There was one advanced specialty:
Advanced Toughness: Constitution +1, Heavy Injury Resistance +3, Health Regeneration +1!
The basic and intermediate specialties were about quantity, and the number was satisfactory to Matthew, providing more training directions for his soldiers.
The advanced toughness specialty greatly delighted Matthew—this rare specialty could directly enhance physical attributes!
Matthew highly valued this specialty because he wanted to learn it for himself!
After all, what professional would complain about being too physically strong?
After all, a strong body is the foundation of revolution!
Additionally, Advanced Toughness was not only highly practical but also the prerequisite for the Extraordinary Toughness specialty.
Extraordinary Toughness: Constitution +3, Heavy Injury Resistance +10, Health Regeneration +3, Immunity to Instant Death!
Just the immunity to instant death alone was something every melee professional would dream of.
Even some legendary warriors coveted this specialty but couldn't obtain it!
Matthew had even heard that the Extraordinary Toughness specialty could be further improved!
With his specialty analysis now upgraded to LV4, Matthew could perfectly gather information and training methods for advanced specialties.
"Your specialty is excellent, but now it belongs to me!"
Half an hour later.
Matthew met with the returning Beelzebub, the burly barbarian warrior, who seemed a bit nervous.
"Perhaps the more invested one is, the harder it is to let go."
Before Beelzebub could speak, Matthew nodded to Arnold beside him and continued with instructions:
"The training matters are entrusted to you, Instructor Arnold."
Instructor Arnold, brimming with excitement, was engrossed in the scroll Matthew had handed him.
Reading it with fervor, he only nodded in response to Matthew's words:
"No problem, with these methods, I'll definitely train them successfully."
The old instructor was fully absorbed, unable to extricate himself.
Seeing Arnold so engrossed, Beelzebub felt a strange sense of amazement.
He genuinely respected this old but vigorous instructor from the bottom of his heart.
Arnold hadn't treated Beelzebub any differently just because he was a barbarian. Instead, he taught him fairly and even gave him extra care.
Reflecting on his past in the barbarian lands, Beelzebub grew silent.
When it came to learning combat techniques, it was nearly impossible to acquire them from others.
Beelzebub remembered his days of "learning," being treated like a beast of burden.
"And yet, back then, I thought I was content with that life."
Beelzebub, chosen as an elite soldier due to his exceptional physical talent,
had received basic training in horseback riding and archery in the army, but even his weapons and rations had to be self-provided.
Arnold's guidance had been incredibly effective for him.
Especially after this recent campaign in Troll Valley and fighting the trolls again,
Beelzebub could clearly feel his combat skills improving significantly. After two or three years of stagnation, he had unknowingly broken through his bottleneck.
What did this mean?
It meant that Arnold was an exceptional instructor!
This deeply moved Beelzebub, and he remembered it well.
But now?
Arnold's attitude toward the lord filled Beelzebub with many thoughts.
Before he could ponder further, Matthew looked his way.
Meeting those dark eyes, Beelzebub instinctively felt a jolt in his chest and lowered his head slightly.
The lord possessed an indescribable aura of authority!
"The training ahead will be very tough, but the results will be outstanding. You must take the lead and not let me down!"
Having just realized the meaning of authority and power, Beelzebub responded without hesitation:
"Rest assured, my lord, I will lead everyone and successfully complete the task."
Noticing that Beelzebub had gained the specialties "Defensive Stance" and "Battlefield Veteran,"
Matthew looked forward to seeing how far this talented barbarian warrior would go once he overcame his shortcomings in combat skills and specialties!
...
The training was grueling.
Beelzebub had known it would be hard, but he had never imagined it would be this tough.
Wearing clothes weighted with nearly 50 kilograms of sandbags initially didn't seem like much to him.
But after running 10 kilometers, throwing 50 javelins in a row, clearing several seemingly easy obstacles, and swimming three laps in a chest-deep pool,
Even someone as physically strong as Beelzebub was utterly exhausted.
However, according to Instructor Arnold, this was merely the warm-up!
"Pick up the long-handled greatsword in front of you and recall the stances I just taught you."
"Ready, downward strike!"
"Upward slash!"
"Sweeping strike!"
"Advance!"
"Downward strike!"
"..."
"Faster! Did you all skip lunch?"
Just moments ago, Instructor Arnold had been all smiles, but now his face was contorted as he roared.
He held a short whip in his hand, not using it on the barbarian soldiers but snapping it in the air with a sharp "crack":
"You're all so big and strong—why are your moves so soft and weak like women?"
"Put some effort into it!"
The exhausted barbarian soldiers, suddenly energized by Arnold's provocation, shouted and pushed through the training.
The weapons they had been so happy to wield earlier now felt as heavy as mountains!
It was truly painful!
Excruciating!